


HUMANS ARE WEIRD, A Space-Pack Bonding Story

by Wargurl83



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Cybernetics, Destiel in space, Gen, Humans Are Weird, Humans will pack-bond anything, mostly narrative
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-03-13 09:14:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18937942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wargurl83/pseuds/Wargurl83
Summary: Humans have made it to the stars, and they really will pack bond with anything.This is the story of how Dean built his own little family in space.Written for the 2019 Dean/Cas Reverse Bang.





	HUMANS ARE WEIRD, A Space-Pack Bonding Story

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I have participated in the Dean/Cas family of bangs, and I'm happy to be here. I missed the signups for the first pick of art (mostly because I thought there would be no way in hell that I would be able to claim art, not with so many talented authors out there) but I heard that there were three pieces left for claiming, so I went and checked it out.  
> The art that caught my attention was of Dean and Cas in a jungle setting, with Castiel's eyes lit up, so I went and signed up real fast for the public claims and was able to snatch it up.  
> The prompt from the artist was more along the lines of Cas being an android, but Star Trek popped in my head, and I thought, 'what if Cas was kinda like the borg?' and well, this is what came about from that line of thinking. 
> 
> Big thanks go to Pallas and Jem for cheering me along, and Jak the AT-AT for betaing this for me, and to Jem and Pallas for cheering me along as I went.  
> Thanks also goes to Morgan for creating the art that goes along with this story, even if I can't share it with you. Unfortunately I never heard from them after claims were done, which means I can't share the art with you here. If I ever do hear from them and get permission to share, I will embed it into the fic at the bottom of the page.  
> And of course, Muse and JoJo, thank you for doing these and putting up with my arm flailing about not being able to get in touch with Morgan.
> 
> And without further ado, my take on Humans are Weird.

_Chief Counselor’s Cgthp’gx’s log, Stardate 431243.5. The following is a reflection of the human behavior known as “pack-bonding.” These reflections are personal in nature and should in no way be taken as scientific, but after consultation with other counselors in the UGSC, the behaviors described herein are fairly typical…_

Humans have made it to the stars. They are, in general, easy going creatures and tend to be unflappable in any situation, making them excellent additions to any crew. They also tend to pack-bond _anything_.

This is both good and bad.

This is excellent for the crew if the humans get along with them, of course. They will go to the ends of the universe for their chosen pack, their family, and very little will stand in their way.

On the other hand, this also means that new family members get adopted on occasion, and usually, no one can do anything about it.

When the Winchesters were brought on board the _Angelus_ , they were the first humans to join the crew. John and Mary were a mated pair, and they fit in well with the rest of the crew. John was a mechanical engineer and ran Engineering with an iron fist, whereas Mary cooked, taking great delight in feeding the crewmembers and learning about the new types of foods her new family liked.

They made a great team.

Eventually, Dean came along, and the crew learned the value of human cubs. They also learned very quickly that everything they had learned about humans was amplified in their cubs and decided to gift the human pair with an android to keep the cub company. Little Dean took to the android quickly, and the crew breathed a collective sigh of relief that the cub had something to look after it and could call for help in the event that something happened.

A few years later, Mary brought Sam into the world and the crew, seeing the success they'd had with Dean, gifted the Winchesters another android for Sam, this one in the shape of a puppy. This was met with glee from all the humans, Sam most of all.

As the years went by, the Winchesters were joined by other humans who decided to make _Angelus_ their home. Bobby Singer and Rufus Turner, the crotchety old man who could fix anything and the new security chief, respectively; Ellen Harvelle who joined Mary in the kitchen and introduced the crew to the dubious pleasure of home-made alcohol while her daughter, Jo, terrified the rest of the crew with her knowledge of weapons new and old. Other humans would come and go, but none would pack bond with the original humans as much as these did.

At least, not until Dean got old enough to start venturing out as a part of their exploration team.

Dean had a habit of rescuing sentient life forms that were in trouble and had a nose that could sniff out said trouble very quickly. Most of the time, those who he saved went back to their family unit, grateful to Dean and the crew of the _Angelus._ Dean was just happy to help. Occasionally, they joined the crew for a little while until they found something that fit them better like Hannah did when they stopped at Zendinda. The crew had been understandably upset that Hannah chose to stay on Zendinda but was happy for them finding a place for themselves in the universe. And sometimes, they stayed and were adopted as an honorary Winchester.

The first one to stay was the curious young man who sported what the humans referred to as a "mullet." Ash Miles, or as he preferred to be called, "Doctor Badass," was a young human who’d fallen on hard times and abandoned by everyone he knew. The young man had been apprehended by authorities on Voria 2FEZ, the Vorians having placed him under arrest for hacking into the food dispensers. Dean had watched the incident happen and had inquired after the human. When he found out that Ash had been starving up until then, he went back to Rufus and they decided that having someone on board who could keep the ship's systems from being hacked would be invaluable and presented his findings to the captain, who agreed to take charge of the errant human and have him join the crew.

The second addition was much quieter but no less important than the first. Keven Tran was a shy and bookish teen that had been snatched from Earth for his work on growing food on space stations by pirates. When the pirates foolishly tried to take on the _Angelus_ and lost, Dean found Kevin cowering in the cold food storage. He was the only survivor after Dean had taken out the rest of the pirate crew, and Mary gladly took him under her wing.

The third one had been a bit of a surprise. The _Angelus_ had stopped at Togantu for resupply and trade and a general holiday for the crew. The last day had been going quietly until the Winchesters had been caught up in a mob heading for the square of the capital city. Curious as to the reason for the crowd, Dean pushed his way to the front to see a gangly human male being strung up for hanging. In horror, he'd turned to the closest person to him and demanded answers as to why this human was being set up to die. Her response caused the blood to drain from his face before he snapped into action.

"He's been infected by the Were."

And so, Garth Fitzgerald the Third came to the _Angelus_ where the crew welcomed him with open arms. They helped him learn how to control the beast inside and work with it instead of against. Not being near a planet with a moon's pull, he was able to learn how to shift at will, and he was incorporated into the exploration team more often than not due to his superior senses.

The fourth permanent addition to the crew via Dean was a red-headed spitfire by the name of Charline Bradbury, or just Charlie, as she vehemently requested to be called. At this point, the crew just accepted that Dean was doing his own pack-bonding with specific beings and welcomed Charlie, but they soon realized this girl was special and even if the two didn’t love each other as mates did, Charlie and Dean were never far from the other, and where one went, the other followed.

The crew came to love Charlie for herself, though. She was a genuinely sunny person and had an air about her that warmed anyone around her. She was incredibly gifted in technology and once she'd gotten her hands on the exploration team's comm devices, they were not only able to talk to the team, but also physically track them, monitor their vitals, and had the ability to lock on to their signal to teleport them back to the ship if an emergency arose.

It was very obvious to the crew that Dean loved his chosen pack fiercely and deeply. He showed it to every being on board, usually in the simplest of ways. If a crew member fell sick, he'd make sure to go to his mother and get whatever that member's comfort food was and deliver it personally to them. If they were upset about something, Dean would do everything in his power to make them feel better, up to and including what the young human referred to as "Movie Night" just for the two of them. He made time for everyone who needed him with no expectation for anything in return.

And the crew, in turn, loved Dean fiercely and vowed to protect him as if he were a cub of their own.

So when they were attacked by the Host right outside of Lurilia's airspace, and Dean went missing, panic ensued.

**

Dean opened his eyes and groaned as pain shot through his skull in response to the weak light cast across his face. He brought his hand up to shield his eyes and took in his surroundings as he pushed himself up to his elbow.

He appeared to be a small cell. A quick check showed that he was still dressed, but all his weapons and his comm device were missing. He figured at this point he was being held on the Host's ship that had attacked the _Angelus_ , but he wasn't sure why.

As he sat up the rest of the way and braced himself against the wall, he ran over what he knew of the Host in his mind. It wasn't much: they were a race of cybernetic beings that abducted new members and assimilated them into the Collective. The individual members of the Host were referred to as Angels, and the ruling body were three Archangels by the names of Michael, Raphael, and Lucifer.

Dean thumped his head on the wall. "Son of a bitch," he murmured as he took stock of the cell he was in. He could only imagine that the Host had taken him for assimilation, and he wondered who else from the _Angelus_ had been grabbed.

He heard a door opening and let his head fall toward the sound. An Angel stepped toward him, her hazel eyes glowing in the dark room. Cybernetics covered most of her body, and her wings glinted metallic. When she stepped forward, Dean noticed she held a tray with food on it, and his stomach grumbled at the sight of it, making him wonder when the last time he ate was. The Angel’ expression didn't change as she slid the tray into the cell through the slot in the door just big enough to admit it. Dean looked down at the food as the Angel walked away. He was ravenous, but what if it was laced with something to make him more pliant?

His stomach grumbled again, making the decision for him. It really didn't matter if it was dosed or not; he was probably not going to be human much longer, so he might as well eat. He stood up, hand braced on the wall, and made his way to the door where the tray sat on its little ledge. He managed to grab it with one hand and make his way back to the cot and sit down before he dropped the tray and tucked into the food. It was tasteless gruel, but there was enough to fill him up. He felt steadier on his feet after eating and was able to make his way back to the door without the wall holding him up to return the tray.

The days (or what he assumed were days) settled into a predictable pattern. Each "morning" the hazel-eyed Angel would bring him breakfast, and each "night" she would come back with dinner. He had a small bathroom in the cell that provided him with water, a place to wash his face and hands, and allowed him to give himself a rub down after he searched his pockets to find a cloth tucked away in one of them.

He was bored as fuck, and he really had no idea why they were holding him for so long instead of just assimilating him to the Host. Hazel Eyes never spoke a word to him, and he'd never seen anyone else in the cell block. He was starting to wonder what was going on.

One night, about five days after he had first woken up here, a new Angel came with his tray for dinner. He was male and had what appeared to be black hair and glowing blue eyes. His mechanical wings were black, but in the light, they reflected greens, blues, and purples as he moved. When the Angel stepped forward and deposited Dean's tray in the slot, he spoke, his rough voice startling Dean.

"My name is Castiel. Tomorrow you will be assimilated into the Host, and your consciousness will be replaced with Michael's." Castiel looked back down the hallway he'd come down and lowered his voice. "In exactly three hours I will come back for you, and we will leave. Do not say anything; just tap the tray twice if you understand."

Dean swallowed hard and reached out to the tray, tapping it twice as softly as he could. He saw Castiel's cybernetic eyes whirl, and the Angel gave a slight nod before he turned away and walked back down the hallway. Dean snatched up the tray and ate as much as he could, his stomach twisting. Dean was worried that this was a trap, but like the first time he ate the food provided, he decided that he didn't have much choice and chose to just play along and hope for the best.

Dean laid down after he ate and while he couldn't sleep, he did doze until Castiel returned. He didn't really know what was going on, but he wasn't keen on being assimilated to the "Host," whatever that was. When Dean heard footsteps ringing down the corridor, he swung his legs over the side of the cot and pushed off it. He stepped over to the cell door and did a double-take when he saw that Castiel had not only returned but brought his gear and weapons with him. Dean hoped against hope that his comm unit was still with his equipment.

The Angel passed his things through the bars, and while Dean was occupied with gearing himself up, he opened the cell door. Castiel held a finger to his lips, requesting silence, then motioned for Dean to follow him. They were quiet as Castiel wound his way through the ship, Dean staying close on his heels. They emerged into a hanger bay, and Castiel motioned him toward a small craft, and they boarded in silence. Castiel ran through the startup sequence quickly, and Dean settled in the co-pilot's seat, strapping in.

"So, you uh, gonna tell me what's going on here?" Dean asked Castiel, shooting a glance at him.

"I'm rescuing you. I have no desire to see another Human taken in by my brothers and perverted into serving the Host." Castiel was terse as he spoke, but Dean felt like he was telling the truth, so he pursed his lips, nodded to Castiel tightly, and settled back.

"Alright, but why? I mean, you're one of them, right?"

Castiel nodded as he navigated the craft toward the bay doors. "I am, yes." His eyes darted to Dean then back to the view in front of him. "Naomi says I have a 'crack in my chassis' and that my assimilation never fully completed. So, while yes, I am an Angel, I'm not a part of the Host and have no desire to see someone be taken against their wishes and forced to go through what I did." He clenches his jaw, then continues, "I was taken when I was very young. They outfitted me with my 'enhancements' as I grew, hoping it would make me a better vessel for Michael's consciousness, but they waited too long to try to do the transfer. So, while yes, I am cybernetically enhanced and have the physical appearance of an Angel," he took a deep breath and looked at Dean full in the face as they made their way out of the bay and into space, "Emotionally I am nothing like them. I value life, all life. Now. Can you please open your comms and contact your ship? I'll need coordinates to get you home."

**

And so, the Angel Castiel joined the crew. Dean adopted him much like he had the others, but there was more there. They were less like siblings and more like partners or mates, not that this bothered the crew any. Dean requested Castiel to be added to his exploration team and had Castiel teach him all manner of things, including hand to hand combat, weapons, navigation, and survival, among others.

The Host never attempted to take Castiel back, and the crew welcomed him. John worked out how to remove most of the outer metal enhancements from Castiel's body, including modifying his wings to be removable so that he could better blend in with the humans when they went planet-side. The Angel was a little awkward, frequently said that his "people skills" were "rusty," but he got along well enough. He was steadfastly loyal to the _Angelus_ and her crew and would put his own life on the line to protect either.

He proved his loyalty soon enough.

**

The mission was supposed to be a quick science run to the surface of Oucury for samples of the local flora to see if terraforming would be possible. The atmosphere was perfectly fine, but there was some concern as to if the plant life was being affected by the copious amounts of sulfuric vents that littered the planet. They needed to run tests to see if the plant life had some way of purifying the sulfur or if it had evolved to live with it.

Dean had been having a good time chatting with Kevin as they moved through the outer edges of the jungle until something huge and incredibly hairy had jumped down from one of the trees, snatched up the young scientist, and ran off with him. The shock of the situation paralyzed Dean for a few seconds until his training took over and he dashed off after whatever had taken Kevin. He activated his comms as he ran, relaying to the _Angelus_ what was happening as he chased down the thing.

"Alright Dean, I got your coords, I'm sending Cas down to your location ( _will you hold still for just a moment)_ so that he can help you subdue bigfoot and get Kev back. ( _Cas, I swear to Pluto if you don't stand still, I'm going to send Benny instead!)_ " Charlie on comms was always a good thing since she had one of the most level heads of the human crew, but it sounded like Cas was tap dancing on her last nerve as she was relaying the information to Dean. Dean snickered under his breath as he ran, enjoying the byplay of his two best friends.

Light particles started swirling next to him, and he skidded to a stop long enough for Cas to fully materialize and get his bearings. The Angel's bright blue eyes whirled and spun for a few seconds, likely switching between the different settings he had loaded, until he snapped his head up and pointed down the path that Dean was running down.

"Heat signatures are that way. Do you want me to lead?"

Dean nodded, and fell back to the Angel's rear, watching their back trail as they made their way to where Kevin was. "Hey, Cas, what did you do to get Char all riled up at you like that?"

Castiel grunted as he clambered over a fallen log. "I've been attempting to get her to send me down to the surface all afternoon, and when your distress call came in, I may have gotten a little... excited."

Dean snorted. "So what you really mean is, you were peacocking around her office until she got fed up and finally made you take off your wings so she could send you down here." Dean shook his head and laughed as they kept moving through the now swampy area of the jungle. "Dude, one of these days she's gonna paint those wings gold or somethin'."

Castiel stopped suddenly, holding up a closed fist to signal a halt. Dean snapped his mouth shut and watched as Cas gave him the hand signals that instructed Dean where to go. Since Dean had the gun and Cas didn't this time around, it would be up to Dean to distract whatever nabbed Kev and lead it away (or kill it if push came to shove) while Cas got his hands on Kevin and let Char know when it was safe to transport them. When Cas dropped his hand in the signal to go, they rushed forward, Dean taking point. He fired a warning shot to get the attention of the Kevin-napper, waiting for it to emerge from the cave and engage. A blur of brown started toward him, and Dean took off, leading it away from where Cas was waiting to dart in and get Kevin.

Dean led the napper on a merry chase for a few klicks before Charlie's voice rang out in his ear that Kevin and Cas were safely on board and that she was bringing him home.

Needless to say, the official terraforming report recommended not colonizing Oucury.

**Author's Note:**

> You can come find me on [Tumblr](https://wargurl83.tumblr.com/).  
> Check out my other stories [here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wargurl83/works).  
> And you can always come talk to me on the [ProfoundBond Discord](http://discord.profoundbond.net/) if you are a Destiel lover like me!


End file.
